Pontius Pilate never intended to deliver a sermon. He wasn’t a prophet or a preacher—just a Roman
governor tasked with maintaining order in a politically turbulent and sometimes militant province
during the so-called Pax Romana. Getting entangled in a dispute between Jewish leaders and a
popular albeit controversal Galilean rabbi was the last thing he wanted.
After interrogating the Prisoner, however, Pilate caved to the crowd’s demands and sentenced Him
to be crucified. As He was led away, Pilate added one final indignity: he ordered a sign to be placed
above the Man’s cross that read, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. It was written in Hebrew, Latin,
and Greek so that anyone passing by could read.
Can’t you just hear the religious leaders fuming? “Take it down! Change it to say, ‘He claimed to be
King of the Jews.’” But Pilate, stubborn to the end, replied, “What I have written, I have written.”
Don’t you love God’s sense of humor? It’s as though He found it so amusing that He inspired the
psalmist to sing about it centuries earlier in Psalm 2. (Pause here and read Psalm 2 if you haven’t
recently!) Pilate didn’t believe Jesus was royalty. For him, it was a sarcastic jab, perhaps a mocking
joke at the Jews’ expense. But God had the last laugh. He used Pilate to proclaim a message to the
entire world.
Hebrew: the language of religion.
Latin: the language of government.
Greek: the language of culture.
All three said the same thing: Jesus is King.
Pilate thought he was making a point, but God was making history, and Pontius Pilate—a Gentile—
became the first person to publicly proclaim Jesus as the crucified King. Just not of his own volition.
As the psalmist wrote, “He who sits in the heavens laughs!” In that moment, God’s Anointed—the
Christ—was publicly installed in His office upon the cross. Pilate’s sign became the first proclamation
of the Gospel: Jesus, nailed to a cross, was beginning His reign as King (cf. Rev. 11:15).
One day, everyone will acknowledge that truth—some willingly, others reluctantly. But every knee
will bow when God delivers the final punchline.
Maranatha, Jordy
